Comedian Jim Breur plays at Jr.'s Last Laugh on Thursday

SEE IT

Jim Breuer will perform today at 6:30 p.m. at Jr.'s Last Laugh, 1402 State St. Tickets are $25. Call 461-0911. For more on Breuer, visit http://jimbreuer.com.

This is an undated contributed photo of comedian Jim Breuer. CONTRIBUTED/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

After portraying a stoner pal of Dave Chappelle in "Half Baked" and being Goat Boy on "Saturday Night Live," Jim Breuer loves playing his newest character -- himself.

In his stand-up, he dwells on being a middle-aged father of three girls with active imaginations who occasionally ask for piggyback rides at the wrong time (i.e., when he's hung over).

Breuer's expressive, rubbery face and physicality -- he'll leap, roll on the stage, and turn more wild-eyed than an African beast -- drives home his relatable stories. He's so animated, you could call him Jim Pixar.

"Think of it this way -- (Bill) Cosby does the same thing. It's storytelling," said Breuer, who performs tonight at Jr.'s Last Laugh.

"It's no different from you or anyone else going to a relative's or to a friend's and they start talking about their kids. My stories are a little more animated and I act my stories out. I do it on the stage. You do it in the backyard."

His girls -- all under age 15 -- don't mind him talking about them.

"They even watch at times. They even laugh at a lot of it," Breuer said. "No, they don't mind. They know it's the truth."

Tonight, Breuer may dive into his family's latest escapade -- a safari with another family in Tanzania.

"Get charged by an elephant -- that was fun," said Breuer, who's mulling how best to approach the Tanzania experience. He was struck by their poverty, while kids here have it all.

"That's an angle I'm wrestling with," he said. "Whereas my kids are going over their iPad use and which shoes (to wear) and all that, these people we went and visited live out in a bush or are climbing trees and fighting off bees so they can have honey for breakfast."

Breuer, 46, grew up on Long Island, so landing a gig on "Saturday Night Live" was a big deal. He became a fan favorite after creating Goat Boy and doing dead-on impressions of Joe Pesci. That gig ended in 1998.

"At the time, yeah, it was a high point," Breuer said. "But I think it's going to be a minute part of where I'm going to end up, career-wise."

Though he's in upcoming film "Quitters," Breuer prefers entertaining with his high-adrenaline stand-up. His latest special, "And Laughter For All," is on cable channel EpixHD and will be available on Netflix in August.

"People are starting to realize that I'm tremendous live," Breuer said. "I crush the room. Then they realize, 'Wow, he didn't drop any F bombs, he didn't make us cringe at all.' They expect that from me, but I don't do that."

He cleaned up his act long ago after seeing clips of himself on YouTube.

"It just seems lazy. 'Write a joke,'" he said. Better yet, write your life and let fans write the ending. As his show ends, he asks fans if they missed anything.

That's your cue to request Goat Boy or his Ozzy impersonation.

SEE IT

Jim Breuer will perform today at 6:30 p.m. at Jr.'s Last Laugh, 1402 State St. Tickets are $25. Call 461-0911. For more on Breuer, visit http://jimbreuer.com.